Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth at minicamp on June 11, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth is entering the 2025 season with renewed confidence, and a four-time NFL MVP throwing him the football in Aaron Rodgers.
In a recent appearance on the Around the 412 podcast with Zachary Smith of Steelers Now, Freiermuth praised new quarterback Aaron Rodgers, calling it a privilege to share a locker room with the four-time NFL MVP.
“I’m just excited to be in the locker room with him,” Freiermuth said. “He’s a four-time MVP, arguably one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. He’s one of the best pure passers, and just watching him in practice, throwing the ball, man, it’s awesome.”
Freiermuth is heading into the fifth year of his NFL career and fifth season with a different starting quarterback. He opened up about his team’s constant turnover at the most important position at minicamp.
“It’s tough,” Freiermuth said. “Obviously, we’re looking for whoever can help us compete and win a Super Bowl, so I embrace the challenge. It’s difficult, but … I’m excited for the opportunity.”
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 1, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Freiermuth began his professional career with future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger as his quarterback. But he has since had Mitchell Trubisky (2022), Kenny Pickett (2023) and Justin Fields (2024) as his Week 1 starters. Mason Rudolph and Russell Wilson have also started several games during the span.
There’s still a lot of catching up to do for Rodgers and the Steelers after he took nearly three months to make a decision this offseason. Freiermuth is not worried, though.
“Yeah, there’s more than enough time,” Freiermuth said. “He’s been in the league for 20 plus years, and so, he has a way of doing things. It’s just more so us getting caught up to what he does and him getting caught up to what we do as an offense. There’s a lot of time between now and September, whenever our first game is. We’ve got plenty of time to build that chemistry.”
Freiermuth, DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek also went out to Malibu to train with Rodgers earlier this month.
With Rodgers under center, Freiermuth could be primed for a breakout season. The Steelers’ 1,648 receiving yards over the middle of the field ranked 31st in 2024, according to Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus. Wilson and Fields just did not attack the middle. That is expected to change with the four-time NFL MVP at QB.
Acquired: The Steelers drafted Pat Freiermuth with the 55th overall pick in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Last Year: Freiermuth caught 65 passes for 653 receiving yards (10.0 average) and seven touchdowns in 2024. His 653 receiving yards ranked 12th among NFL tight ends.
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth runs at practice on Oct. 11, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Career: In 2021, Freiermuth assumed the starting tight end position following the retirement of Vance McDonald. In Week 1, he started his first game against the Buffalo Bills and recorded his first professional reception for 24 yards on his only target of the game. In Week 3, Freiermuth caught his first NFL touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals and then recorded his first multi-touchdown game in Week 9 against the Chicago Bears.
Later in his rookie season, Freiermuth suffered two concussions, one in Week 12 and the other in Week 15. Freiermuth finished his lone season with Ben Roethlisberger as his quarterback with 60 receptions on 77 targets for 497 yards and seven touchdowns.
He followed up his impressive rookie season with a healthier and equally as productive second year. Freiermuth was the second most targeted player on the offense with 96 targets, only behind Diontae Johnson’s 141 targets.
In Week 1, Freiermuth was targeted nine times as he hauled in five catches for 75 yards. This was one of four games that Freiermuth went over the 70-yard mark in 2022. His season-high for receiving yards came in Week 4 against the New York Jets as he finished with seven catches and 85 yards.
A year after hauling in seven scores, Freiermuth caught only two touchdowns in 16 appearances in 2022. The reason for the dip in touchdown production is that the Steelers quarterbacks only threw 12 passing touchdowns all season.
Pittsburgh Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth at practice on Sept. 13, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
In 2023, Freiermuth caught 32 of his 44 targets for 308 yards and two touchdowns. His best game of the season came in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals which also happened to be the team’s first game after firing Matt Canada. In the game, Freiermuth hauled in a game-high nine passes for 120 yards.
His next best game came in the Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills when he led the team in receiving with 76 yards on five receptions.
College: After an illustrious high school career at the Brooks School, Freiermuth committed to play football at Penn State. As a true freshman in 2018, Freiermuth played in 13 games and started nine of them. He hauled in 26 receptions for 368 yards and eight touchdowns. His eight touchdowns were the most by a Penn State freshman since 2005. After the season, earned an honorable mention All-Big Ten from the coaches.
Freiermuth started all 13 games and was named as a team captain for the Nittany Lions in 2019. He finished his sophomore season with 43 catches for 507 yards and seven touchdowns. His 43 receptions and 507 yards ranked second on the team. He was named to the All-Big Ten second team by the coaches and media.
After just four games as a junior, Freiermuth’s season came to an end due to an injury. Despite his injury, he finished first among all Big Ten tight ends with 310 receiving yards. In his four starts, Freiermuth hauled in 23 receptions and one touchdown. After the season, Freiermuth was named the Kwalick-Clark Big Ten Tight End of the Year.
In his Penn State career, Freiermuth appeared in 30 games while making 26 starts and set the school’s record for touchdown receptions by a tight end with 16.
Salary cap and future: Freiermuth signed a four-year, $48.4 million contract extension with the team on Sept. 6, 2024, which was reported to include a $10.5 million signing bonus and was fully guaranteed at signing. Freiermuth has a $12.8 million cap hit and $10.7 million base salary in 2025.
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